Washing-machine



(No Model.) G. T. ANDERSON.

WASHING MACHINE. v v

Patented Mar. 13, 1888.

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WM 97 62mm 881 45 GH'om wg N. FETERS Phutnlflhagmphnr. Washingtun, D, C.

i l l l l UNITED STATES CHARLES T. ANDERSON, OF CLARKSBURG, MARYLAND.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,263, dated March 13, 1888.

Application filed June 10, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. ANDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glarksburg, in the county of Montgomery and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IVashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in washing-machines of that class in which the clothes are pressed between two reciprocating faces.

Myimproved washing-machine consists, essentially, of a box or clothes'receptacle having a bottom of curved shape for a portion of its width and supported upon suitable legs, a pair of longitudinal rocking rubbers pivotally mounted in the ends of the box and each haviug a longitudinally-extending rib or rubber, one of which is provided with a corrugated upper face, while the other. has a corrugated under face, a longitudinal slot or opening being provided in each rocker below and above the rubber rib to permit of the passage of water during the reciprocation of the rubbers, said rubbers being at each end pivotally con nected together and to a hand operating frame or lever pivoted in the framing, a strip or valve extending longitudinally of and pivoted to the outer face of one of said rockers 0r rubbers to close the lower portion thereof as said rubber moves outward and cause the projection of the water upward and over upon the clothes, and a strip secured to the outer face of said rubber to limit the outward movement of the valve and retain the clothes between the rubbers.

'In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a transverse sectional view of my improved washing machine. Fig. 2 represents a detail perspective view of one of the rockers and parts connected thereto. Fig. 3 represents a sectional end elevation of a rocker.

1 represents the supporting-legs; 2, the box within which the clothes to be washed, the water, and the rocking rubbers are contained. The bottom of the box is of upwardly-curved shape for a portion of its length rearwardly,

Serial No. 240.938. (No model.)

as shown at 5, from whence it extends in a straight line to its rear, as shown at 6.

7 represents abottom, preferably of galvanized iron or other suitable metal, of similar shape in cross-section to the contour of the bottom edge of the box. The rear wall, 8. of the box extends vertically in an inwar-dlyharing or angular direction, while the front wall, 9, extends downwardly and outwardly, as shown.

10 represents the rear and 11 the front rubber. These rubbers each consist of a pair of vertical end pieces or standards, 12, which extend above the top of the box, a longitudi nal top bracing-strip, 13, a longitudinal bot tom bracing-strip, 14, and an interposed rubber strip or rib, 15 and 16, slots or openings being left between said rubbing-rib and the strips above and beneath the same, and also beneath the lower strip, to permit of the passage of water therethrough. The top strip, 13, on the rear rubber is either of a width sufficient to form a closed back to said rubber, to receive the wash of the water as the rubbers are reciprocated and throw such water back upon the clothes in the box, as shown in Fig. 3, or it may be of less width, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The rear rubber has pivotal bearing at its bottom in the ends of the box on a metallic brace'rod, 17, extending across said rubber and through the end standards or arms of said rubber. The front rubber, 11, is connected with and has pivotal hearing at or near its top in the ends of the box by means of a bracerod, 18, which may either be passed directly through the end standards or arms of said rubber or connected therewith with capability of ready removal therefrom by means of eyes or staples 19, attached to said end stand ards, the rod 18 in such case passing through said eyes or staples 19 into the end pieces with capability of free rocking movement therein. Each oppositepair of standards 12 is pivotally connected together and to the hand grasp or frame 20, which is pivoted at 21 in the outwardly-extending portions of the top part of the box by pivot arms or links 22 22, so that as said hand grasp, frame, orlever is rocked inwardly on its pivotal bearings the upper portions of the rubbers will be pushed rearwardly and said rubbers separated from each other, while when said hand grasp or lever is drawn forwardly said rubbers will be rocked into juxtaposition with each other and the rubbing-ribs 15 16 brought nearly together.

The rubbing-strip 15 on the rear rubber has an angular or bevel shaped corrugated top face, 23, while the rubbing-rib 16 on the front rubber has a correspondinglyshaped under face, 24; consequently as the rubbers are brought into operative position these corrugated faces are brought opposite each other one above the other, so as to operate upon re verse sides of the clothing being washed.

The front rubber depends in the box somewhat lower than the rear rubber, and when reciprocated will travel upward in the arc of a circle, its bottom traveling across the curved or dish-shaped portion of the bottom andin close proximity thereto, so as to carry the clothes resting on the bottom of the box upward into operative contact with the rubbing ribs. As the hand-grasp is drawn toward the operator standing in front thereof, the operative part of the front rubber will, through the intervention of the pivotal connecting arms or links, be carried inwardly and upwardly, while the rear rubber will be rocked upon the pivots at its bottom and be drawn inwardly and downwardly to meet the ascending front rubber. It will thus be seen that thereverselycorrugated faces of the respective rubbing-ribs will be thereby brought into opposing positions, so as to operate upon reverse sides of the fabric under treatment.

25 represents a valve composed of a strip of metal extending longitudinally across and hinged or pivoted, as at 26, to the lower portion of the front rubber, so as to swing freely thereon as the rubbers are reciprocated.

27 represents a strip of metal extending across the longitudinal plane of said hinged strip or valve 25 and secured at its ends, as at 28, to the rubber, to limit the extent of open ing of said valve. As the respective rubbers are oscillated into operativeposition this valve 25 swings open upon its hinge or pivot and permits of the passage into the front part of the box and through the open lower portion of the front rubber of any excess of water there may be rearwardly of the front rubber. Then, as the hand-grasp is reciprocated to separate the rubbers, as. the front rubber rocks forwardly the valve-plate 25 swings against and closes the slots or openings in the lower por tion of the front rubber, and as said front rubher is rocked to its extreme forward position, there being no other escape for the water be tween the frontof the rubber and the front wall of the box, such'water is forced over the .top of the front rubber, and also through the slot above the rubbing-rib thereon, upon the clothing between the respective rubbers. By this means a constant circulation of the water containedin the box and agitation and displacement and change in position of the clothes are secured, the result being, in connection with the peculiar construction and mode of operation of the rubbers, a rapid and thorough cleansing of the clothes.

When the rubbers or rockers are provided with corrugated or grooved ribs 14 and 29, as represented in Fig. 1, said ribs on each rubher will, as the rubbers are rocked together, as represented in Fig. 1, approach each other and exert a rubbing and squeezing action upon the clothes, thereby assisting in forcing water through such clothes and also assisting in their cleansing.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is l. A washing-machine comprising a box or case. a pair of vertical reciprocating rubbers pivotally journaled within said box and having rubbingribs provided with opposing corrugated faces, having also longitudinal slots or openings to permit of the passage of water through said rubbers,and upwardlyextending end pieces, an operating hand grasp or lever having pivotal bearing on the box-frame,links or arms pivotally connecting said rubbers together and to the hand-grasp, and a valveplate hinged to the outer face of the front rubber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a washingniachine, a box having a metallic bottom having a concaved'front portion, a pair of rubbers vertically supported within said box upon pivot-bearings and having alternating slatted and slotted lower portions and inwardlyextending rubbing-ribs having oppositely corrugated rubbingsurfaces, a hand operating device, links or arms pivotally connecting said rubbers together and to the operating device, and a valve-plate hinged to the front face of the front rubber to automatically close the open lower portion thereof upon said rubber being reoiprocated forwardly and force the water upwardly and over upon the clothes between the two rubbers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

CHAS. J. Gooon, M. DORIAN.

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